Do you allow yourself a "Free Day" ?

A free day or cheat day would kill my progress. (At my size and age I have very little leeway between losing slowly and not losing at all.) But there are some meals when I decide to set the strict diet aside. These come up every few weeks - a special occasion not just every Saturday or whatever. I still watch portions on these meals and try not to make utterly disasterous choices, but beyond that I relax. I also allow little treats within my calorie allowances - a couple of slices of bacon, a 100 calorie mini dark chocolate bar, a bowl of creamed clam chowder - generally this works as "eating back" some of my exercise calories..

Don't deprive yourself of fruit and yogurt! As treats go, those are very healthy choices. Allow for the calories in your daily calorie goal. I don't have any set free day, but if they happen, they happen...that's being flexible. I agree with the other posters that have said maybe a free meal is a better idea than a whole day.

If the promise of yogurt at the end of the day keeps you on track during the day, why can't you add that back in? If you're worried about sugars, find one that's lower in sugar or have less of it, like 1/2 a cup instead of a full cup. Or get plain Greek yogurt, and add a few berries.

For me, starting my day with creamer in my coffee gives me something to look forward to, and if I have a super bad day, I take away my creamer the next day. Silly, yes, but that little rewards help me stay on track. And those calories are totally empty.

I agree with the "cheat meal." My boyfriend and I go out to dinner every Saturday night. For me, this works well because I spend about 4 hours working with horses on Saturdays so I know I've done more physical activity than any other day of the week. But regardless, it's nice to enjoy a restaurant meal, maybe a couple margaritas or glasses of sangria, and not worry about trying to enter every last ingredient into MFP. Most other dinners I prepare at home and know what the ingredients are, can prepare larger servings of vegetables, etc. As for trying to cut yogurt and fruit from your diet, is there a reason other than the sugar? If it's mainly about the sugar, do a little research into the glycemic index and eat fruits with lower natural sugar. In the end though, even if you eat some higher sugar fruits, you're eating whole/real food - not shoveling handfuls of candy into your mouth - and there's a huge difference between the two when it comes to sugar. Also, check the ingredients for the types of yogurt your grocery store carries. There's probably some variety in the type of sugar used. I'm a big believer in Michael Pollan's philosophies so I will still eat something that has a little bit of real sugar in it versus a chemically-made substitute sweetener. If you're really struggling with finding the balance to keep your stomach and your brain happy with your choices, I would really suggest picking up a copy of Michael Pollan's "Food Rules." It's a tiny book with a wonderful set up and good advice for how to eat well while not going to extremes that become counterproductive.

I have 1 cheat meal per week. Something I have been craving etc. I don't cheat the whole day as I would feel guilty and probably screw my weightloss. I have seen that this one cheat meal per week actually seems to boost my metabolism. Also I don't keep junk food in my house. If I want a cheat meal, I usually go to a restaurant or go get the ingredients to cook. Having it in the house if you have a big weakness is not that smart.